News

Mental health sufferers in city ‘will get improved care’

A MENTAL health boss pledged to improve care for people with schizophrenia and psychosis.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Stuart Bell spoke at the first National Psychosis Summit for NHS leaders on Thursday.

He told the London event: “Oxford Health NHS Trust is absolutely committed to making sure people with mental health problems get the same standard of care as those with physical illnesses.

“We’re always looking for new ideas for how we can do things better and use the resources we have as effectively as possible.”

Charity Rethink Mental Illness, which arranged the event, said early intervention and community care for mental health is cost effective.

A charity report said £15 is saved for every £1 spent on early intervention. It said that too great a proportion of NHS is spent on long-stay inpatient care – 54 per cent – than community services. These services are vital to help stop people becoming seriously unwell in the first place, it said.